A 99-year-old man has been found dead in Melbourne's north-west after a medical-alert alarm sent paramedics rushing to his burning home.
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The alarm went off at 5.30am on Sunday. When paramedics arrived at the Vaynor Street address in Niddrie, they discovered the property was on fire, police said.
The paramedics called firefighters, who quickly brought the blaze under control. The man's body was found inside the ruins of his home.
"The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but a crime scene has been established and police are investigating," police spokeswoman Creina O'Grady said.
MFB acting commander Geoffrey Hughes described the blaze as an intense fire.
"The smoke detector is on the roof. We believe it had activated, but the heat intensity was so high that it's now melted off the roof and is a lump on the floor in the hallway," he told the Nine Network.
Flowers were left outside the home hours after the elderly man's death.
Flowers left at the scene of a fatal house fire for a 99 year old who passed away @9NewsMelb #9news pic.twitter.com/i7FydxzXtO— Neary Ty (@NearyTy_9) July 23, 2016
"He was just a nice man," said neighbour Sam Iermamo in a Seven News interview.
"I don't know what happened. I thought it was a car accident, at first."
It was the second major fire overnight in Melbourne.
Just after 3am firefighters battled a blaze at a home in Maidstone that threatened homes on either side of the property.
The suspicious fire was brought under control in 40 minutes and no one was injured. It is believed squatters were living at the address.